This has been a different kind of start to the new year for me. Maybe it's been that way for you as well.
Photo by MacJewell
I'm not ready to jump into 2009. I groan when I see the New Year's resolutions that my friends are sending me and the workshops marketed by my colleagues to help manifest those resolutions. I have no inkling what 2009 will bring and to start setting intentions or goals seems premature. Maybe in February it will feel differently.
I'm not particularly interested in reviewing the last year (as in, the top ten things I did or learned or remembered.) I forced myself over the weekend to blog about things I learned in 2008. After listing a few items, I got bored. When I read other people's lists, I either get jealous (that it seems to flow out of the keyboard so easily) or I'm totally uninterested.
I'm not anxious to be online again. After nearly a two-week hiatus, being "off the grid," and barely communicating with the outside world, I feel like I could use another few weeks. I dreaded coming into my office this morning, knowing that I didn't have the holidays anymore as an excuse not to answer email.
It's as if I'm two weeks behind (or more). Or maybe I'm ahead, by about 11 months.
Photo by Jesse757
I don't have a plan for 2009, other than a few loosely structured phrases in my head (e.g., pare back expenses, come up with a marketing plan, do more of what I love.)
Instead, the only thing I want to do, above and beyond the usual business (e.g., coaching calls with clients), is to de-clutter. To create space–physical space in my office and mental space in my email inbox. I figure the emotional and spiritual will follow from that. Or maybe it's the other way around.
I'm feeling the need to simplify and focus, although I'm not sure what that looks like exactly.
One of my clients has a program at work called Jump Into January, where performance is tracked with hard numbers, day in and day out, to get a good start to the year. Instead, I think my program is Patience in January, where sorting out and clarity happens moment to moment, and not any sooner.
I have to remember that the year is twelve months long. It's a marathon, not a sprint. I'm giving myself the entire month of January to de-clutter. So if I'm a bit slow jumping in on Twitter or responding to email or posting to my blogs, you'll know why.
How about you? Are you jumping in? Or wading in? Or waiting for the water to warm up?
Photo by ibm4381
Oh girlene, you were SO right when you said I’d probably relate to this post. I do. So much so that I could have written it … except that I haven’t been writing at ALL lately cause I’ve been in some form of holiday slug mode. (and i usually write for at least a half hour every day … the icing on the cake is that i don’t even celebrate christmas so i have no excuse; what’s up with THAT?) 🙂
Hey, there’s more of us out there than I imagined. Talked to two other people who are in the same mental space. We are all a lot more alike than we think…..Maybe we should start a club–the “I-don’t-want-to-start-the-new-year-after-the-holidays-and-you-can’t-make-me” club.